John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Leon Bailey and Jhon Duran score to give Aston Villa 4-0 victory over poor Everton; Dominic Calvert-Lewin forced off with facial injury before half-time.
An Aston Villa team, inspired by Leon Bailey, recovered from their previous weekend’s heavy defeat by Newcastle by securing a 4-0 victory over Everton. Unfortunately for Everton, Dominic Calvert-Lewin had to leave the game due to yet another injury.
Aston Villa asserted their dominance in the first half, completely outplaying Everton. Their control over the game was evident as they found the back of the net in just 18 minutes. John McGinn capitalized on Bailey’s assist, scoring from close range.
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A mistimed challenge by Jordan Pickford on Ollie Watkins gave Aston Villa the chance to extend their lead from the penalty spot. Douglas Luiz stepped up and confidently converted the penalty, taking over the duties from Watkins and marking his first successful spot kick for the club.
After eagerly awaiting Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s return from his recent injury absence, his comeback turned out to be short-lived, lasting only 35 minutes. Everton’s already troublesome start took a turn for the worse when the English forward had to leave the field due to a blow to the face. Sean Dyche later explained to Sky Sports that Calvert-Lewin had suffered a knock on his cheekbone and was experiencing blurred vision, forcing them to make the decision to substitute him.
In the second half, Leon Bailey shifted roles from being a provider to becoming a scorer, taking advantage of a defensive mishap. Michael Keane’s poor interception from an Aston Villa throw-in landed conveniently for Bailey, who capitalized on the opportunity and calmly slotted the ball past Jordan Pickford.
The quality of Everton’s defending deteriorated even further during the hosts’ fourth goal. Ashley Young’s woeful throw-in unintentionally turned into an ideal assist for substitute Jhon Duran, who found himself in disbelief as he scored his inaugural goal for Villa just 47 seconds after stepping onto the field.
Expressing his dismay, Sky Sports’ Andy Hinchcliffe remarked, “You can set a team up and have decent players on paper, but when they go out and perform like this, what can you do? It’s just shocking, the defending is disgraceful.” This defeat now confirms Everton’s position at the bottom of the Premier League table, a situation they haven’t experienced since October 2010.